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Workshop to Provide Tips on Using State Library and Archives' Digital Resources

(Published: April 27, 2015)

The front door of the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) isn't located on its building in downtown Nashville - at least not for all Tennesseans. For many patrons, that 'front door' is actually whatever portal they use to access TSLA resources on the Internet.

To make the process of searching its vast collections of online materials easier, TSLA is hosting a free public workshop May 30. The workshop, which will be led by Assistant State Archivist Wayne Moore and TSLA staff members Jessica Short and Genny Carter, will provide hands-on training and helpful tips for sorting through photographs, documents, maps, postcards, film, audio and other orginal materials of cultural and historical significance. TSLA's online resources include two sets of detailed maps related to the Civil War.

Theirs was a love story without the scandal and treachery found in the novel, "Gone With the Wind." However, a collection of love letters between East Tennesseans Oliver Caswell King and Katherine Rutledge King does provide valuable real-life insights into social and military history during the Civil War.

On May 6, the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) is hosting a free public presentation about that collection, which was donated to TSLA last year by siblings and King descendants Olivia King Inman and Judge Dennis H. Inman. The collection of letters chronicles the romance between Oliver King and Katherine Rutledge, which led to their marriage.

Due to a staff meeting, the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) will open an hour and a half late on Tuesday, April 28. TSLA will open at 9:30 a.m. as opposed to the regular time of 8 a.m. TSLA will remain open until its usual closing time at 4:30 p.m. If you are planning to visit TSLA on that day, please plan accordingly.

Last year, students from Tellico Plains and Memphis submitted history-themed projects that were judged to be among the country’s best at National History Day. This year, a group of 66 students from Tennessee have earned the right to compete for similar national recognition.

Students qualified to compete in this year’s National History Day by submitting projects that won first- or second-place medals at Tennessee History Day, which was held last Saturday in downtown Nashville. About 300 students in grades six through 12 participated in the statewide competition.

State Archivists to Visit Knoxville in Search of Civil War Memorabilia

(Published: April 13, 2015)

Representatives from the Tennessee State Library and Archives will be in Knoxville on April 30 and May 1 to record and digitize Civil War memorabilia owned by local residents for the online exhibit “Looking Back: The Civil War in Tennessee,” which commemorates the Civil War’s 150th anniversary.

Archivists will be at the East Tennessee History Center, 601 S. Gay Street in Knoxville, on April 30 from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m. and May 1 from 9 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. During those times, they invite area residents to bring in original photographs, documents and other artifacts related to the Civil War.

Young History Students from Tennessee Qualifying for National Competition

(Published: April 8, 2015)

More than 300 Tennessee students will be in Nashville this weekend competing for a chance to showcase their knowledge at a national history competition to be held this summer.

Students in grades 6-12 from around the state will participate in Saturday's Tennessee History Day, a daylong event that will be held at various locations in downtown Nashville. The students, split into middle school and high school divisions, will present history-related projects in five different categories: documentaries, exhibits, performances, papers and websites.

Due to road closures associated with the Country Music Marathon, the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) will be opening late on Saturday, April 25. TSLA will open at 10 a.m. as opposed to 8 a.m. TSLA will remain open until 4:30 p.m., its usual closure time. If you are planning to visit TSLA on that day, please plan accordingly.

They have served in war zones across the globe, including the Boer War in Africa at the turn of the 20th Century to World War I in the 1910s. In World War I alone, their losses numbered in the tens of thousands. And wherever they have served, they are regarded as sure footed, sturdy and hard working.

They are Tennessee mules - and they have been highly valued during wartime throughout much of our country's history.

From today through April 12, more than 200,000 people are expected to visit Columbia for the Maury County town's annual Mule Day celebration. While much of the focus will be on the important role mules have played in Tennessee agriculture, their wartime contributions are noteworthy as well.

Thirty-three students from across the state won special awards during the recent district competitions for Tennessee History Day, which will be held in Nashville next month.

National History Day (NHD) is an annual event in which middle and high school students prepare research papers, websites, exhibits, documentaries and performances on topics of historical interest. The goal of NHD is to help students develop an interest in and appreciation for history outside of a traditional classroom setting.

In observance of the Good Friday holiday, the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) will be closed on Friday, April 3. If you were planning to visit TSLA on that day, please adjust your plans accordingly. TSLA will be open for its regular business hours, from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., on Saturday, April 4.

Representatives from the Tennessee State Library and Archives will be in Wartburg on Wednesday, March 25 to record and digitize Civil War memorabilia owned by local residents for an exhibit titled “Looking Back: The Civil War in Tennessee.”

Archivists will be at the Wartburg Public Library, 514 Spring Street in Wartburg, that day from 10 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. During that time, they invite area residents to bring in original photographs, documents and other artifacts related to the Civil War.

State Archivists to Visit Jamestown in Search of Civil War Memorabilia

(Published: March 10, 2015)

Representatives from the Tennessee State Library and Archives will be in Jamestown on March 24 to record and digitize Civil War memorabilia owned by local residents for an exhibit titled “Looking Back: The Civil War in Tennessee.”

Archivists will be at the Fentress County Courthouse, 101 S. Main Street, that day from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. During that time, they invite area residents to bring in original photographs, documents and other artifacts related to the Civil War.

Tennessee State Library and Archives Workshop, presented by David Ewing

(Published: March 3, 2015)

Join David Ewing for a look at Nashville’s unique history through the Tennessee State Library and Archives’s (TSLA) historical materials and from his own historical research. In this free workshop, Ewing will discuss how to navigate the TSLA’s records to research Nashville history, and to locate information about your own Nashville ancestors.

The workshop will be held from 9:30 a.m. until 11 a.m. March 28.

Ewing is a ninth generation Nashvillian, lawyer and historian. He has been researching Nashville and his family at the Tennessee State Library and Archives for 20 years. He has previously served on the Metro Historical Commission, Board of The Hermitage and Travellers Rest. He is a founding member of the TSLA Friends. His Facebook page "The Nashville I Wish I Knew" was selected in 2013 as the best Facebook website by the Nashville Scene's Best of Readers and Editors poll.

The Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA), collects and preserves books and records of historical, documentary and reference value, and promotes library and archival development throughout the state.